I Am A Prodigy

Needless to say, because of that group’s participation, the entire poem platform turned into their dominion; writing poems and stroking each other’s ego.

On Weibo, the flame war started long ago.

[WTF is this? Good poem? Good my *ss!]

[Very wet[1], definitely wet. It’s so wet that I can’t bear to look at it.]

[Even professional circle jerks should have a limit. This is jerking it to the milky way!]

[They dared to criticize Y’s poem before this. Now that you compare them, Y is like a scholar!]

[Previous poster, you’re wrong to say that. Y is a scholar to start with!]

[I can’t take it anymore. Someone please get Y out of hiding and compose a few poems so I can wash my eyes. Our Chinese literature is being sullied by these idiots.]

…

Voices of complaints went on. It was no wonder they would bring it to Ye Lingchen’s Weibo account.

However, the more dissents there were on the internet, the more it fueled that group’s excitement. They had never been so famous. Now that they had the attention of so many people, it was impossible to not feel excited.

They were spreading Chinese culture. They were bringing Chinese poems into the sights of the public!

They instantly felt sacred, as though their shoulders were loaded with heavy responsibilities.

Right then, the WA’s Vice-Chairman Huang Lihua, who dissed Celestial Bane online, put forward his opinion once again.

Reading through the criticisms on the internet, his heart already felt annoyed. When he saw so many people bringing up Y’s name and claiming that his group’s poem was nothing compared to Y, his patience ran out.

What did his association stand for? Bathed in decades of traditional literature, they were the heirs of Chinese literature. How could they be surpassed by a web novel writer?

He could not help but make a post on Weibo:

[Lately, Weibo is becoming lively with people writing poems. Everyone’s voices are loud. This represents the rise of Chinese traditional literature, and the phenomenon is inseparable from the hard works of traditional literary scholars. It is a form of recognition for us; one that I’m comforted by! However, I still hear the other voices. On this, I must speak up and say my piece.]

[First, I admit that within our WA, some poems fall short of the standards. However, everyone had to start off as a beginner. For them to present their works to everyone, that takes courage! Secondly, there are plenty of good compositions within our works. For example, Moon, So Bright! by XX WA President; Wind, So Comforting! by XX WA Vice President; Snow, So White! by XX WA[2] Chairman. These compositions are considered classics! Compared to Y’s poems, they are much better!]

He quickly wrote an entire paragraph. With a smug smile on his face, he uploaded it to Weibo.

As expected, once it was uploaded, the views skyrocketed.

[F*ck! So shameless! What does the rise of traditional literature have to do with them?]

[Please check the facts. It’s because of Y’s poem that triggered this event alright?]

[F*ck! I can’t take it anymore. This bugger is feeding us bullsh*t. Please get Y to save me…]

…

Meanwhile, a few other major WA members started to reply to the post.

[Thank you, Chairman Huang. Your poem, Flower, So Beautiful! is the true classic.]

[Chairman Huang’s words resonate deeply with me. That’s the truth!]

[Chairman Huang’s summary is very accurate. However, I need to add on a little bit.] Right then, another vice-chairman of the WA came forward and interjected, [Many people are still tagging Y, asking for him to compose a poem. Seeing that, I feel that it’s laughable. These people don’t understand poems at all!]

[When it comes to writing poems, apart from talent, one would also require inspiration. As the saying goes, the abundance of the heart leads to the spring of ideas. Our poems were all born through trials, tribulations, along with the right environment for its conception. These people tagged Y to call him out, but did he show himself? Not at all! Are they expecting him to create a poem on the fly? Based on his talents, I’m sorry, that’s impossible!]

[Chairman Shi is right, it makes sense!]

[Hahaha, that’s right. You see lately Y hasn’t been showing himself. You want him to compose a poem? Wait on!]

[Straight to the point, as expected of the chairman. Since when was writing a poem easy? If he can compose one, I’ll eat three pounds of poop!]

Members of the WA continued to sing their praises.

[I can’t take it anymore, I need to escape. These people are too much.]

[At least I feel that Y’s poems are a hundred times better than theirs. Shameless bunch!]

[Even a scumbag is not as scummy as them. They’re the best… at losing themselves in their boast.]

However, quite a number of people were shaken. After all, the WA was the authority in such issues, making it easier for them to be convincing.

[Guys, let’s not argue. The WA has their point too. How can he just compose a poem on the fly?]

[I think these chairmans’ poems are quite good. They read well.]

[Most of Y’s die-hard fans can’t recognize reality and live in their own dream world.]

[Hehe, a lot of people refuse to believe it. Why don’t you get Y to show himself? I don’t need him to compose a poem on the fly. If he can compose a poem that everyone likes within three days, I’ll submit to him!] Chairman Shi grew more prideful as he typed. [I’ll bet that he won’t dare to show himself!]

At first, Ye Lingchen was only there to watch the drama and did not consider taking part. However, the flames of war had mysteriously latched onto him.

Ye Lingchen’s heart was unaffected by the provocations, but rather, it brought him a slight twinge of excitement.

These people were delivering popularity right to his doorsteps!

It was originally a trivial matter, but they managed to blow it to the point of being the top search result. That was a major assistance for him.

‘F*ck! What wonderful people!’

‘I don’t dare to show myself? Why won’t I, the prodigy, show myself?’

‘Since you’re forcing me to compose a poem, then I’ll have to take you up on it.’

Without hesitation, Ye Lingchen announced on Weibo. [Is composing a poem on the fly that difficult?]

In just a simple sentence, but it sent Weibo into a frenzy in an instant.

[F*ck! Novel Y replied immediately?]

[OMG, OMG! It’s going to be another bloodbath!]

[You see that tone. Y is going to compose a poem on the spot?]

[Y, you’re too impulsive. The opposing party is obviously trying to agitate you and have you embarrass yourself.]

[Y, let’s ignore them. Why should you compose a poem on the fly for them? We need time too!]

At the same time, Capital University’s Professor Wan Yun was also following this incident. After seeing Novel Y making a statement, he unwittingly frowned his brows. That was just too impulsive! Composing a poem on the spot was no different from the seven-step verse[3]. Even the legends of ancient times were awed by such a feat. How was it possible for those in the modern age?

Ye Lingchen ignored the excited crowd, but instead closed his eyes and went into deep thoughts for a moment before typing on his computer.

[The first poem, on wind.]

[Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl-New Year’s Night

Easterlies of the night call to bloom blossoms of a thousand trees,

As if blowing adrift stars that drizzle like rain.

Precious horses and lavish carriages go by leaving a scented trail.

Phoenix flutes music perform as the timekeeper witnesses the turning of hours,

Throughout the night lanterns in the shape of fish and dragons dance and gyrate.

Golden are the willowy tassels of her butterfly hairpin,

Among giggles and chatters, her scent is fading away.

In the crowd, I look for her presence everywhere time and again,

Suddenly I turn around, and I see her there,

Where lights are dim and faint[4].]

…

[1] 好湿 (Hao Shi / very wet) and 好诗 (Hao Shi / good poem) sound the same.

[2] XX WA- In raw, the author did not put XX City or XX District, so we just went with XX. WA over here is the acronym for Writer’s Association.

[3] The Seven-step verse tells the story of a genius scholar in classical literature who was issued an ultimatum: Compose a poem within 7 steps or be executed. The scholar managed to recite a poem consisting of four verses with five chinese characters in each line.

[4] The translation of this poem is sourced from https://28utscprojects.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/s202/